evacuate

/ɪˈvækjueɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪˈvækjueɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /i-ˈva-kyə-ˌwāt -kyü-ˌāt/ (ame, mw)

evacuate — verb

  • evacuatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • evacuateshe / she / it
  • evacuatedpast simple
  • evacuating-ing form

1. to make people leave a building, area, or city that is dangerous because of a wa

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

to make people leave a building, area, or city that is dangerous because of a war, storm, fire, or other emergency, and send them to a safe place

例句

The government ordered everyone to evacuate the coastal area before the typhoon arrived.

evacuate + place (coastal area)

Élise's office building was evacuated after a gas leak was discovered in the basement.

passive: be evacuated from [place]

同義詞
  • leave

    general word for going away; evacuate is stronger — it implies danger and organized movement

  • flee

    suggests panic and speed; evacuate is more planned and orderly

  • withdraw

    formal/military; usually describes troops, not civilians

反義詞
  • occupy

    to take control of a place and stay there

  • stay

    to remain in a place instead of leaving

文法句型

evacuate + place / group of people

evacuate from + place

be evacuated from + place

用法筆記

Frequently passive (be evacuated). Can be used transitively (evacuate people / a place) or intransitively (people evacuate). When intransitive, the subject is the people leaving, and the place is stated with from.

常見錯誤

❌We had to evacuate from our home' (redundant when place is already named).
✅We had to evacuate our home.
💡When the place is named as the direct object, omit from.
❌The police evacuated people from the building last year.' (police evacuation is unusual).
✅Firefighters evacuated people from the building during the fire.
💡Use emergency services appropriate to the situation (firefighters for fires, army for floods/war).

2. to release the contents of the stomach, bowels, or bladder from the body — a for

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to release the contents of the stomach, bowels, or bladder from the body — a formal medical term for what is normally called emptying the bowels or going to the toilet

例句

The surgeon asked the patient to evacuate his bowels before the morning operation.

medical context: evacuate + bowels

A special drink helps patients evacuate waste from the body after colon surgery.

evacuate + waste from the body

同義詞
  • empty

    everyday word; 'empty your bowels' is the non-medical alternative

  • excrete

    more technical/biological; evacuate is the standard medical term

  • void

    formal, mainly used in medical charts ('void urine')

反義詞
  • retain

    to hold waste in the body rather than releasing it

文法句型

evacuate + bowels / bladder / stomach / waste

用法筆記

Used mainly in medical or formal writing. In everyday conversation, people say 'empty the bowels', 'have a bowel movement', or 'go to the toilet'. The verb is almost always transitive in this sense, with bowels, bladder, stomach, waste, or contents as the object.

常見錯誤

❌I need to evacuate.' (too vague — sounds like you need to leave the building).
✅I need to evacuate my bowels.' or better ✅ 'I need to use the toilet.
💡Without a medical context, evacuate alone is understood as sense 1 (leave a dangerous place).
❌The doctor told him to evacuate his stomach.' (correct but very strong — implies vomiting).
✅The doctor told him to evacuate his bowels.
💡Bowels is the most common object for this sense; stomach usually refers to vomiting.